Friday, April 15, 2011

Hello Hive. Long time no hear from me. I couldn't stay silent on this project. I thought there might be a lot of you who want to do it!

I have been super inspired by burlap lately and wanted to make a banner for an upcoming engagement shoot that my husband is doing. It turned out to be a super easy project and I wanted to share with you the details:

What you need for my (easy) Burlap Banner version:

burlap (you can buy this at any craft/fabric store, some hardware/farm stores even have thicker versions.

scissors (any kind! sharp.)

sharpie markers (you determine the color...I used black and red)

needle and thread (khaki colored thread)

thick hemp (or ribbon) - I got mine at Wal-Mart

letter stencils - these are what I used Stencil Ease (from Hobby Lobby)

Step 1:

Lay out your hemp and determine what size flags you want to create. I used a word document and literally threw a triangle on it. Printed that out (home printer) on card stock. Cut the stencil and there you have it!

Step 2:

Lightly trace the flags onto the hemp. I used a thin sharpie for this. Use the top seam as a guide.

Use your stencil to stencil the letters on. I wanted to keep this super simple and just used a sharpie to trace the letters and fill them in. Some things you can put on your banner "Love", "In Love", "Just Married", "Marry Me", "Forever" and my favorite "Bliss"

Step 5:

Create a heart stencil. I just used word. Print the heart out and trace it onto your burlap. I used a red sharpie for this and colored it in. Super easy!!

Step 6:

Get your needle and thread (this would obviously be a lot easier with a sewing machine!). Line up your letters, slightly overlapping the edges of the flag. And sew the hemp string onto the back of the flags. My stiches went around the hemp and through it.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

By far the number one question that I have been asked in the past year is "how is your first year of marriage going?." This comes from friends and strangers alike. I always respond the same way...."you know....it has been....well....easy." And that is the honest truth.

On October 3, 2009 I got to marry the best man I have ever met. The kindest, most decent man I have ever known. And the last year has been, easy. We fit together. After spending so many years in a long distance relationship the transition into life together has been smooth and pretty blissful. I realize that at the end of the day I get to be with him and that makes things just....better.

We have been together over 7 years. And here are a few things that I cherish about our relationship:

He still answers my phone calls "hello, beautiful"

He always makes it difficult to get out of bed in the morning and if he has to leave first...he always seems sad

He continues to challenge me and push me to follow my path

He is proud of my job and wow...I am proud of his

He believes in my sister and loves my mom

He thinks it is great that I spend 1 night a week at my best friend Patrick's house to vlog about TV and he never gives me a hard time for watching "my strange reality shows"

He constantly reminds me that life is about slowing down and enjoying the path

The first year of marriage has taught me a lot about companionship. Because at the end of the day marriage is about support, honesty, respect and partnership.

As we did on 10.3.09 I want to repeat the words from our wedding program. I feel strongly about them and am disappointed that our country still fails to recognize the true meaning of marriage.

"And as we remember those who are not with us,we also recognize those who are still denied the civil right of wedded union & the social & legal benefits of marriage. We have come a long way toward treating all men & women as equals and yet, we acknowledge that we still have further to go & more we can do to respect the choice to love & be loved."

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

So let me start by saying that I am biased. My background is in video production, I am deeply moved by movies and I know what makes a good "shot". I can't imagine not having decided to have a videographer capture our wedding. I am not here to convince anyone to spend extra money but I do want anyone that is considering spending a ton of money on flowers, invitations, programs or alcohol to really consider hiring a videographer. It is one of the best decisions that we made.

There are few things that go in to choosing a videographer:

1. You don't want someone that is going to cramp your style. You need them to fit in, get your vibe, get your relationship, understand what you want and be open minded.

2. You have to look at their work. Get examples, get reviews, get testimonials and really understand what their forte is. Do they love telling a story? Are they big on detail shots? Are they modern? Are they traditional?

3. Most brides create a inspiration board or vision board for their weddings....SHARE THIS WITH YOUR VIDEOGRAPHER. They are a big part of your day so make sure that they are "in the know" and get your style.

4. Don't get taken advantage of. DO NOT OVER PAY. Do some research. And don't get suckered into a million extra DVD's or extra coverage that you don't need. We had 6 hours of wedding day coverage, Wedding Highlights, Full Length Ceremony DVD and a Wedding Trailer. All for around $2,200 (give or take a few dollars).

5. You will get what you pay for but honestly...be creative. If you don't have extra money for a videographer reach out to a college with a great broadcasting school (I was in a program, I would have loved an extra $300 bucks to edit a video for a wedding), ask around for friends who love taking videos of their kids/friends/dogs, rent a camera. There are options out there if you can't afford to hire a "professional". IT IS WORTH IT, even if it isn't professional!

6. Once you find the right person give them time to scout locations. It is really important for the videographer to be comfortable where they are shooting and to find "interesting" and "compelling" shots.

7. Another **could be controversial option**if you are expecting your family or friends to give you a big gift, ask them to group together and get you a videographer! Maybe this is a good job for your MOH or the mother of the bride/groom to organize. People want to give good gifts, they want to make you happy and they don't want to get you glasses that you won't ever use. Find a way to hint that a videographer is a great gift!!!

And with that. I am open to answering any questions about videographers! More recaps coming soon.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

After being silent for a while. I promise I am going to finish recapping the wedding soon. In the meantime, so you will forgive my silence :) I am sharing our wedding video that just arrived from the amazing Focal Point Cinematic.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

After heading up the mountain to get some bridal portraits done we brought the ladies and my bridesman Patrick up to shoot together. They were such troopers! It was so cold but it was so beautiful. I was thrilled to have the prefect day and the perfect scene!

The balloons!!!!! They make me so happy and it gave something for Patrick to hold.

Remember the Christmas tree fields! Here they are with us in them.

I love this picture because you can see my precious bridesmaids bellies, they are both due any day. And you can check out their headbands! Remember that project :)

My mom came up on the mountain too but she wasn't dressed yet. It meant alot to have her watching from distance!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Once we were all ready. I was was in my wedding dress and my girls were in their dresses with headbands :). We grabbed our bouquets, some balloons and headed up a mountain. My mom came up with us. I always knew that I wanted pictures on top of a mountain but wasn't sure we would be able to get them. On our drive up "the hill" we passed a gorgeous Christmas tree farm and all decided that we had to stop on the way back down the hill.

We started with a bridal shoot. I was so excited. The wind was blowing and the Italian silk was just flawless when the wind blew!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Before I talk about the bridal shoot that I got to do the afternoon of the wedding I must talk about the flowers. I loved my flowers so much that I wish I could have taken them home with me and had them forever. I knew that I wanted dahlias in rich jewel tones from the beginning. I even had dreams about the flowers. I worked with a NC florist who completely blows my mind. He is brilliant. His name is Jason Clodfelter of The Bitter Pear.

I wanted my bouquet to be rich with colors. I also decided that I wanted each of the bouquet's wrapped with the Italian trim that we used on my wedding dress.